


The Beginning and End of Everything

by Aseikh



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Adopted Children, Background Relationships, Double Dating, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Found Family, Friendship, Protectiveness, Shovel Talk, Vague Threats, chosen family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24428053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aseikh/pseuds/Aseikh
Summary: Ever since returning from Nihon-Ja, Cassandra has been piled with tasks and responsibilities by her father to keep her busy. When she's given the task to mediate neogotations at Redmont, she grabs at the chance to snag an extra week or two to spend with her girlfriend, Alyss. Her first night there, she and Alyss plan to have a double date with their close friends, Will and Horace. But before that can happen, Cassandra has to get through two incredibly difficult challenges: Halt and Pauline.
Relationships: Cassandra | Evanlyn/Alyss Mainwaring, Horace Altman/Will Treaty, Pauline duLacy/Halt O'Carrick
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30
Collections: Ranger's Apprentice Summer Fluff 5K





	The Beginning and End of Everything

**Author's Note:**

  * For [drowned_in_books](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drowned_in_books/gifts).



> After seeing the prompt, I knew that there was no other way for this piece to go, I hope you love it, Drowned! (And YES, I'm aware that it's one word over the limit. Sue me.)
> 
> Prompt: a loving, protective shovel talk from one parental figure to their kid's new significant other.

Cassandra pulled her horse to a stop at the rise of the hill, her small entourage falling in place behind her. Looking down at the triangular castle, an immense swell of love for it rose in her chest. She may live in a much bigger castle, one more apt to be described as a palace, but there was no denying the plain beauty and splendor of Redmont. There was something about it's regal simplicity that caught her eye. I want to get married here, someday, the princess thought, a soft smile on her face.

A large, black battlehorse halted beside her mare, the captain of her guard obviously wondering why they had stopped so close to their destination. The knight sighed, and Cassandra didn't even need to look at him to know that he had the same look as her on his face. Horace often spoke about how much he missed his home fief back when they were spending time together at Castle Araluen. Over the years, though, both of them eventually figured out that it wasn't just the sight and memories of the place that drew them to Redmont, but the people as well.

"Are you ready to see him?" Cassandra murmured, leaning in her saddle towards Horace so the rest of their traveling group didn't overhear her comment. It wasn't like they weren't out, but Horace was a private person and didn't often speak about his personal life with those behind them. Especially his love life.

A pink blush crawled up Horace's neck, coloring his cheeks before he even looked at her. When he did, though, his eyes were narrowed and he had an oddly mischievous smile on his face. "Always," he said softly, shaking his head. "You know I dive for the chance every time I'm able to." He paused for a moment, considering the princess, before he looked back down to the castle. She watched as his eyes racked across the view, starting at the battleschool and the castle and ending at the small cabin just visible in the forest. Smoke was rising from the chimney, indicating that the occupant was still there. He would be there for a little while longer. "Are you ready to see her?" Horace shot back at her, finally pulling his eyes away to look back at her.

She smiled widely, pulling herself back into her saddle and straightening her back for riding. "Always," she repeated, before kicking the sides of her horse into a gallop, breaking away from their group in mere heartbeats.

"HEY!" she heard Horace yell from far behind her, but she didn't stop to see if he was following. She knew he was, and she knew that the rest of her guard and her people would be following at a more steady pace at well. They were all used to her antics at this point. Because, really, all she wanted now was to get to the castle and see who she really came here for.

Her horse galloped through Wensley, all of the townsfolk moving out of her way before she was even close. From what she'd been told, people galloping through town towards the castle wasn't a rare occurrence, and those who lived there were used to getting out of the way before the rider was anywhere near them. That allowed her a clear shot through Wensley Village, across the Tarbus River Bridge, and up the hill and to the gates of Redmont. Maybe it was the red tunic she wore, or the trailing entourage, or maybe they recognized her, but the moment she pulled her horse to slow down in the courtyard of Redmont, circling the area to allow the horse to relax and slow down, the guards at the gate saluted to her and another stepped forward from the keep to grab the reins of her horse.

She dismounted, patted the neck of her horse, and was already answering the guard's questions about if she'd like the horse taken care of, if her people knew where to put her stuff, if she'd like to speak to Baron Arald first, et cetera, et cetera. Sometimes Cassandra really disliked being the princess, because it could get annoying how many questions people asked her, how many people treated her differently just because of who her father was. She just wanted people to treat her like they would anyone else sometimes, which was why she was usually so happy to take on different identities when traveling overseas.

A few seconds later and Horace was pulling Kicker to a stop just behind her, shaking his head at her before he had even dismounted. Another guard stepped forward to take his horse's reins, nodding to him when they recognized him.

She and Horace were expected to meet with Arald the moment they arrived, and then they would be allowed free reign of whatever and wherever they wanted to go. She had already been in communication with the baron as well, and he knew the general idea of what she and Horace were planning—there would be no welcome dinner tonight or the next night, but the night after that. These first two days were for themselves and their partners, who neither of them had seen in months.

They both headed into the keep, knowing that they should keep their agreement to meet with Arald no matter how much they wanted to rush to the other side of the castle. Thankfully, it didn't take long. Rodney was there with Arald, greeting Horace with a bear hug and a salute to Cassandra. Arald warmly welcomed them back, asked how their travel was, and told a few terrible jokes. Meetings about the negotiations wouldn't take place until later in the week, so it was mostly them checking in with each other and showing that they had gotten there with no trouble.

Horace and Cassandra were out of Arald's office in less than fifteen minutes, Rodney trailing after them and talking to Horace about some of the battleschool's new apprentices. Horace would probably go over there a few times during the time he was there to help with lessons, but for now he informed Rodney that he was unavailable. Rodney left them with a slap on Horace's shoulder and a wink, which sent another blush crawling up Horace neck, before slipping away in the direction of the battleschool.

Knowing that Alyss would just be getting out of work, they headed in the direction of the courier offices, where they could see people in white dress already exiting the part of the castle where Horace had said her office was. Before they were even inside, a recognizable form was already slipping out. Her white dress was as immaculate as ever, and her blond hair was pulled up into a messy bun just at the nape of her neck. At her shoulder was a leather satchel, worn from constant use and carrying around.

"Alyss!" Cassandra said, her arm hooking around her girlfriend's waist before she could walk right past them.

Alyss spun in her grasp, a yelp of shock turned delight escaping her lips before she threw her arms around Cassandra's neck, hugging her tightly. "Cassie!" Alyss said, smiling widely. "You're here!"

Cassie spun Alyss in her arms, completely delighted to have her girlfriend in her grasp once again. The other couriers around them smiled, moving around their small group like a river. Most, if not all of them, looked up to Alyss in some way, and were delighted to see her happy and laughing. For Alyss and Cassandra, they rarely saw each other, so any chance they got … it was a special moment in their book.

Stepping to the side and out of the way of the other couriers, Alyss gave Horace a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. She kept a hand on Cassandra, though, and after a moment of catching up with each other, Alyss turned back to her girlfriend, pulling up the slipping satchel strap at her shoulder. "I still need to get changed and pick something up from Pauline," she explained, smiling crookedly. "Do you mind? I don't think Will's expecting us for another hour or so."

Without a word passed between them, both Horace and Cassandra nodded. Alyss smiled at them, and then turned in the direction of the keep, where Pauline and Halt's rooms were. The two women walked together hand in hand with Horace trailing just behind them. The guard at the door nodded to them as they entered for the second time in the past ten minutes. Horace held the door open for Alyss and Cassandra, a chivalrous knight to the end despite being apart of a dying breed.

"Horace? That you?" a voice said, catching their attention just before the keep door shut behind them. Horace turned to see an approaching soldier, probably the one that was meant to relieve the guard currently at the keep door. The one guard that had been there as they approached nodded to the new one and stepped away, but instead of taking up his spot against the keep wall, the new guard held out his hand to Horace, a wide grin on his unfamiliar face. "It's been a while since you've been back!"

Confusion turned to recognition as Horace took the hand and shook it. "Alan! Alan, right?" he said, smiling. "How've you been?"

Alyss and Cassandra paused in the doorway, watching the interaction for a moment. Alyss recognized the soldier as one that had graduated from the battleschool a few years ago, who had gotten hired and taken on as a guard by Rodney soon after. She wasn't entirely sure, mostly because she didn't keep track of all of them, but she was pretty confident that Alan had been in the same year as Horace. Horace had gotten out early and left those in his year behind while he trained at Araluen, but they all apparently remembered each other.

Horace and Alan exchanged a few more words, before Horace's eye seemed to catch on the two girls waiting for him in the doorway. He paused, glancing between them and Alan. "You two go on up, I'll catch up with you before you head out for dinner, okay?" he said, smiling awkwardly. "Just don't leave me behind."

Nodding, Alyss and Cassandra let the door close, leaving Horace behind to catch up with the soldier. Still hand-in-hand, they made their way up a few stories before stopping at a plain door. Alyss knocked softly, and they waited only a few moments before it opened to reveal Halt. The grizzled Ranger was missing his cloak and weapons, but looked about as grumpy as usual. He gave a shockingly genuine smile to Alyss, but then seemed to notice that Cassandra was with her, and it faded slightly. He raised an eyebrow at the Princess, studying her without saying anything at first.

"To what do I own a visit from you two?" he said finally, moving out of the doorway to let the two of them in. "Thought you and the boys had a dinner tonight."

"Sorry for bothering you, Halt," Alyss said, slipping around him and heading into the main area of the apartment. "I need to pick up some papers from Pauline before we go out tonight."

Halt nodded, but didn't stop Alyss from moving around her. After she passed, an arm came out to block Cassandra from moving further. She halted in her steps, confused as to why Halt would be stopping her.

"I don't get a 'hello?'" he said, sarcasm nearly dripping from his words.

Cassandra smiled ruefully at the Ranger. "Hi, Halt," she said, rolling her eyes. "Crowley wanted me to tell you to stop using so much sarcasm in your reports. He has to rewrite them for my dad to read, and it just creates more paperwork for him."

Halt scoffed, muttering "Of course he did," while moving his arm so that Cassandra could follow after Alyss into the apartment. She was already speaking quickly with Pauline, who was sitting down reading a file in their sitting area. The older courier had her hair up nearly identical to how Alyss did, but instead of wearing her uniform, she wore a casual night gown colored a light blue. As Halt and Cass walked into the area, Alyss stood from where she had bent to speak with her mentor, smiling at the two of them.

"I'm just gonna head into Pauline's office for a bit, I won't be long," she said, before turning and disappearing down the hallway.

Which left Cassandra alone in the sitting area with Halt and Pauline.

Halt walked away, heading into the small kitchenette that was provided in the castle apartments. He started fiddling with the coffee beans and the pot, pulling out mugs as he worked. "Coffee, Princess?" he said, turning to look at her over his shoulder.

She shook her head. She wasn't planning on being there long, and was sure that they would get drinks at Jenny's restaurant. The chef would no doubt have her best coffee on the pot for when Will stepped in there, and Cass didn't want to lose her appetite, which any coffee was guaranteed to do.

"You can sit down, honey," Pauline said, motioning to the chair Cass was standing next to. Smiling, Cassandra took a seat at the edge of the chair, hoping that Alyss wouldn't be long. Couriers were always busy, similar to Rangers and knights, so Cass wasn't all that surprised to be here. But still, Halt and Pauline were like parents to both Will and Alyss, so it was still nerve wracking to be in the same room as them—especially with how she knew Halt to be. Pauline made it slightly more bearable, but only slightly.

"So how have you been, Cassandra?" Pauline asked, moving down a bit in her seat as Halt came back from the kitchenette with two mugs of coffee. He placed one in front of his wife, already taking a sip from his as he sat down beside her. The older woman smiled first at him and then turned the smile on her.

Cassandra still wondered at the fact that Pauline wasn't Alyss's biological mother, considering how similar they looked and acted. Alyss had admitted to her some time ago that, when she was younger, Alyss often mimicked Lady Pauline whenever she saw her on the castle grounds. She wanted to grow up to be Lady Pauline, Alyss had confessed, and so as she grew up, she grew her hair out how Pauline had it, walked like Pauline walked, spoke like Pauline spoke. The head courier had of course noticed this behavior, and that's how Alyss had gotten close to the woman in the first place, which eventually led to her being accepted as a courier's apprentice even before Choosing Day.

"I've been good!" the princess said, brushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "Dad's given me more responsibilities since getting back from Nihon-Ja, so I've been pretty busy. I'm technically here to manage some negotiations, but I was able to convince him to let me come sooner so Alyss and I could have some time together."

Pauline nodded, her face unreadable, and Halt was staring at her with a look in his eye that she didn't exactly recognize. It was like he was studying her, judging her as she spoke. And now that she noticed it, she couldn't help but to notice nearly the exact same look in Pauline's eyes. Cassandra felt her skin crawl under their stares, anxiety building in her chest. She didn't know why, but she was nervous to be sitting in front of them.

"Speaking of Alyss," Pauline started, tracing the lip of her mug, but not drinking it. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on Cassandra. "What are your plans for tonight with her? She's been … nervous … these past few days."

Cassandra frowned, not quite understanding what Pauline was asking. "I … what? We were just going to get dinner with Horace and Will, I don't see—"

"We were just wondering," Halt said, interrupting her. Cassandra was taken aback at that, not used to being interrupted back home at Castle Araluen. "What your intentions were with her?" He said that bluntly, as if it wasn't a completely odd and wild thing to be asking their adopted child's significant other.

"I …" Cassandra didn't know how to respond to that, at least not right away.

"We just want what's best for her, obviously," Pauline continued after Halt, "After her and Will broke up, she had a few relationships that didn't end well, and we don't want to see her hurting like that again."

Halt nodded, his dark eyes pinning Cassandra to her spot. She wished Horace was there with her, because at least Horace had gotten used to talking back to Halt. Cass didn't see Halt as often as Horace did, and while she was familiar with him and saw him as a close family friend … she was still wary around him. He was too … unpredictable to not be wary of.

"You …" Cassandra started, her thoughts stalling, "You …"

"I guess what we're saying," Halt said, "is that if you hurt Alyss …" he paused, eyes flicking upwards as if he were thinking through his next words. But if Cassandra knew him at all, she knew that he knew exactly what he was going to say, and that him and Pauline had been planning this talk for months.

"If you hurt Alyss, you'll have more to deal with then just your own emotions," Pauline said, her tone entirely pleasant despite what she was saying, as if she weren't basically threatening the Princess of Araluen. Of either of them for this to come from, Cassandra was shocked that Pauline was taking part in this.

But now that she really thought about it, she shouldn't be surprised. There was a reason they were married—they were perfect together, even if Pauline hid her deviousness better than Halt.

"I—I'm not going to hurt her," Cassandra said, nervously laughing and glancing towards where she saw Alyss disappear. Their voices were probably too low for the courier to hear from the end of the hallway, but Cassandra wished that her girlfriend would come back faster so they could get out of there. "Really, this was just meant to be a fun night for all of us. We haven't seen each other in a while, both Alyss and I, and Horace and Will. It's—it's a double-date, so I wouldn't have done something like that now anyways, I—"

"So you were planning on doing 'something like that,' then?" Halt asked, the look in his eyes darkening. Cassandra gulped, realizing that she shouldn't have said anything along those lines, especially not right now. She shouldn't have even thought about saying anything like that.

"N-No!" She choked out, louder then she intended. There was no doubt that Alyss had heard that, and now Cassandra was hoping that Alyss didn't come back. This would be hard to explain on both her end and Halt and Pauline's end. "I was never planning on doing something like that, not now, not ever." Cassandra laughed again, literally on the edge of tears. She brushed her hair behind her ear again, wondering if she should ask Alyss to trim it and tie it back later. It was getting long, and she found that she liked short hair during her few experimentations.

Either that, or her mind was reaching for any way to distract her from this situation.

Halt was still glaring darkly at her, and Pauline's expression was impossible to discern past suspicious disdain. Seeing that from someone like Pauline was crushing to Cassandra, and she didn't know how to react to it.

"I know this might come off as … protective … and possibly rude," Pauline started, brushing a strand of her own loose hair behind her ear. She finally picked up the mug Halt put down in front of her, sipping and putting it down without drinking much. Halt's was already empty, placed down on the coffee table between them. "But after the past few years, Alyss seems to really enjoy your company, but is also nervous about what might come of it. We just—"

Now it was time for Cassandra to interrupt. She'd found her footing, finally, and knew what she had to say to get the two of them off her back. "I love her. I love Alyss," she said, sitting up straighter in her seat and meeting first Halt's gaze and then Pauline's head-on. "Maybe we haven't been together long, and things might get hard between us in the future, but I've never felt the way I feel with her with anyone else." Cassandra took a deep breath, looking down and then back up at the two. "And that's the beginning … and end …. of everything," she stated, proud of herself. She hadn't admitted it to herself yet, unable to find the words, but this … conversation … with Halt and Pauline had finally pushed Cassandra to find the words and admit them—both to herself and to them.

Now she just had to find those words for Alyss.

The small group in the sitting room fell silent, looking across the table at one another without another word being passed between them.

The silence sat for a few heartbeats, before a door closed, footsteps coming up the hallway from the office in the back. Alyss was closing her satchel, a slight smile on her face that showed that she was completely oblivious to what had gone down just minutes before. She was still in her courier uniform, but Cassie immediately noticed the shawl now thrown around her shoulders—a delicate, hand-made lace piece that was intricate and beautiful. "Pauline, do you mind if I borrow this piece?" Alyss said, "I saw it in your office and you know how much I love it …"

"Of course, Alyss," Pauline said, her tone warm and devoid of any threatening tone. "I hope the four of you have fun tonight—you all deserve it."

The younger courier's smile widened, and she held out her hand to Cassandra. "Ready?" she said, "I just have to run and change, and then we'll be ready."

Cass almost didn't know how to respond, the tone shifting so fast that her brain needed time to catch up. But on instinct, she took Alyss's hand and stood from her seat, deliberately ignoring where Halt and Pauline sat.

"I—I need to change too, so how about we meet up back at the front gates in ten minutes?" she said, joining both their hands so they were looking at each other. "Then the three of us can meet Will at the restaurant right on time."

Alyss smiled and leaned forward to give Cassandra a quick kiss on the check. "Okay!" she said, and she started to pull her towards the door. "Thanks Pauline!" she threw over her shoulder, and with her left hand she waved goodbye. "Bye, Halt!"

The Princess turned to give the two a goodbye of her own, but when she looked back, they were both still watching her curiously. Pauline lifted her own hand, waving to them. "Bye, ladies," she said softly, and Halt simply stared, watching until they were blocked from Cassandra's view as Alyss pulled her through the door, and it closed softly behind them.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Alyss had pulled on a casual, cream colored dress with a brown corset and brown riding boots, and Cassandra had changed from her traveling tunic to one of more comfort—and less pomp and circumstance with her royal colors. She changed to one that was white with black leggings and her riding boots. They met up with Horace, who had still been chatting with the Alan character at the base of the keep, and started in the direction of Wensley.

Will had said he would wait for them at his cabin until ten minutes before Jenny was expecting them, so by now he was probably waiting for them at the restaurant. They made their way down the hill and across the Tarbus River Bridge and into the town. Alyss and Cassandra were laughing as they caught up before dinner, despite knowing that these same stories would probably be told since Will wasn't with them.

When they made it to Jenny's restaurant, Horace opened the door for Alyss and Cassandra, bowing jokingly and waving them in. They both snorted at that, but took the offer anyways and stepped into the packed building. There weren't any open tables except for one, with little cards that said 'Reserved' on them. At the other side of the room, a small form was sitting at the bar, chatting with another blond woman who was tending the bar. When the door open, they both turned to see it was, and Will's grin widened at seeing the three of them enter. He jumped from his seat, Jenny laughing behind him, and walked quickly across the room, sweeping Cassandra and Alyss into a double hug before pausing to study Horace, an uncharacteristic frown on his face.

"Did you break your nose again?" Will asked, hands coming up on either side of Horace's face. Without warning, the small Ranger yanked Horace's face down to his level, studying his boyfriends face intently.

"He—Hey!" Horace started to say, surprised by Will's rough handling. Will studied Horace's face for half a second, an oddly serious look on his own face. It didn't last long, though—his persistent grin broke through, and before either could start laughing, Will pulled Horace in for a kiss.

"I missed you," he said, eyes and voice soft.

It was that moment that Will seemed to realize the spectacle they were making in the dead center of a busy restaurant, and they all moved to the side where their table was located, Will's face burning but Horace still laughing at him.

Once they were all seated, Will quickly got over the embarrassment, holding Horace's hand tightly underneath the table and staring at his boyfriend. Alyss and Cassandra did the same thing on their side of the table, unable to hold back their laughter, even when Jenny came over, smiling, to take their orders. Others in the restaurant seemed to be infected by the display of young love, turning to their companions and laughing and smiling at whatever was said at their tables.

Through all of this, though, Halt and Pauline's words haunted Cassandra, hanging over her head and making her doubt everything. She, of course, knew about Alyss's break-up with Will (which was both mutual and amicable), as well as the subsequent series of terrible relationships that Alyss went through during the years after. Will was always there for her, but it wasn't until a few years ago that Cassandra had finally realized that the reason she was so enamored with the young courier was because she was romantically interested in her.

"Everything all right, Cass?" Alyss asked softly, her eyebrows scrunched in concern. They were still waiting for their food, but now that Alyss had said something to her, squeezing her hand slightly, Cassandra saw that they were all looking at her—Will, Horace, and Alyss.

"I—oh, yeah," she said, laughing. It was a terrible cover-up, though, and she knew that all her friends at the table would be able to see right through it. She sighed, closing her eyes. "It's just—Halt and Pauline said something weird to me when you were getting those papers," she said, turning towards her girlfriend but keeping her gaze down. "I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to mess up your relationship with them, but …"

"Oh …" Alyss said, apparently taken aback. She was frowning, eyes flicking back and forth as she considered those words.

"What'd they say?" Horace suddenly said from his spot. He didn't look concerned at all, and Will was looking across at them with an amused look on his face.

Now Cassandra was suspicious. She looked at Alyss, who still looked troubled over this situation, and then back across the table to the boys. "They …" she hesitated, but then didn't see the harm in saying it. "They basically said that if I hurt Alyss, I'll have more things to worry about then just my feelings … or something like that, I think," she shrugged, trying to dismiss the whole situation. It was fine, really. It was totally fine that her girlfriend's adopted parents basically threatened her, despite everything. Totally fine.

Horace snorted, nearly breathing in the water he'd been about to drink. "Oh, that's it?" he said, completely shocked and seemingly genuine. Beside him, Will choked on his coffee, ducking his head and knocking it against the table.

Now Alyss turned to face the two of them, completely confused. "What?" she asked, her voice rising.

Will sat up, wiping the grin off his face and shoving Horace playfully. "When we started dating, Halt nearly pin-cushioned Horace to a tree," he said, "and then told him that if he did anything to hurt me, he'd better start running to the Middle Kingdoms now."

Horace pushed Will back, shaking his head. "You forgot the part where he threatened to skin me alive."

Nodding his head vigorously, Will laughed again. "Oh—OH, and when he said he'd throw you into the sea after—"

"Oh my god," Alyss said simply, covering her mouth with her hand and leaning heavily on the table.

Cassandra looked between Horace and Will, finishing each other sentences when it came to Halt's threats, and her girlfriend, who seemed entertained but conflicted over the news that her mentor had basically threatened her girlfriend. Alyss looked over at Cass, meeting her eyes. There was a lot of love in her stormy gray eyes, and Cassie hoped that Alyss saw the same thing in her's—nothing but love.


End file.
